The
purpose
of
this
resource
is
to
understand
what
causes
the
Earth's
seasons
with
a
focus
on
the
Earth's
tilt
and
spherical
shape.
Students
learn
how
sunlight
spreads
over
the
Earth
at
different
times
of
the
year,
emphasizing
the
solstices
and
the
equinoxes.
Students
investigate
the
effect
of
the
Earth.s
tilt
on
the
spread
of
sunlight
by
modeling
different
tilts
using
a
three-dimensional
polyhedron
...
Full description.

The
purpose
of
this
resource
is
to
further
students'
understanding
of
the
causes
of
seasonal
change
using
visualizations
to
compare
the
effects
of
incoming
solar
energy
in
the
two
hemispheres.
The
class
reviews
global
visualizations
of
incoming
sunlight
and
surface
temperature
and
discusses
seasonal
change.
Students
use
the
visualizations
to
support
inquiry
on
the
differences
in
seasonal
change
in
...
Full description.

This
activity
helps
students
to
understand
the
many
roles
that
polar
sea
ice
plays
in
the
systems
that
maintain
our
planet,
by
first
helping
them
to
understand
the
process
of
the
formation
of
ice
in
oceanic
regimes.
Students
will
use
an
inquiry
based
lab
experience
relating
salt
content
to
the
ability
of
water
to
freeze
in
order
to
begin
this
study.
Specifically,
they
will
design
an
experiment
to
...
Full description.

This
site
provides
information
about
precipitation,
evaporation,
condensation,
surface
runoff,
infiltration
and
transpiration,
which
are
all
part
of
the
water
cycle,
a
complex
process
that
not
only
gives
us
water
to
drink
and
fish
to
eat,
but
also
weather
patterns
that
help
grow
our
crops.
The
site
has
four
sections.
The
introduction
presents
the
overall
concept
while
the
second
section
covers
each
...
Full description.

This explanation of the hydrologic cycle discusses evaporation, transpiration, condensation, precipitation, runoff, percolation, groundwater, and the water table. There is a diagram and a description of each as well as a discussion of the dynamics of the cycle, which powered by the Sun. In addition there are links that lead to all parts of the Properties of Water menu.
Full description.

This
experiment
helps
students
understand
that
ultraviolet
(UV)
radiation
is
present
in
natural
outdoor
light
and
that
the
intensity
of
the
light
varies
with
season
and
time
of
day.
After
completing
this
activity,
students
will
be
able
to
demonstrate
that
UV
radiation
can
be
blocked
or
filtered
by
various
substances.
The
page
contains
detailed
background
material,
learning
goals,
alignment
to
national
...
Full description.

In
this
activity,
students
will
be
reminded
that
when
sunlight
strikes
the
Earth's
surface,
energy
is
absorbed
and
the
surface
material
is
heated.
But
although
the
same
amount
of
sunlight
strikes
different
materials
at
a
given
location,
they
heat
up
at
different
rates.
Students
will
use
models
to
demonstrate
conduction,
convection,
and
radiation
and
to
gain
an
understanding
about
what
happens
to
create
...
Full description.

In this lesson, students are given a variety of materials and are asked to design a heat loss experiment that will result in a reasonable explanation of why whales do not have legs. Students will learn that natural selection favors a body design that is energy efficient.
Full description.